It’s fantastic to be back in the swing of writing and connecting with you! I took a hiatus over the summer to re-ignite my Mojo by spending more dedicated time with my family outside in the gorgeous state of Maine!

I hope you too were able to take a break and do things that bring you peace and joy.

It felt amazing to make a conscious decision to create white space in my calendar and then choose to honor the time and not fill it to the brim!

True confessions…it wasn’t always like this for me! Earlier in my life, I would excitedly block the bonus time off on my calendar and as the time drew near, I would pop in just a quick meeting, an early coffee session, a brief lunch meeting or better yet a happy hour meeting! Notice the words I would use to justify my actions…trying to minimize the impact of my decision.

Before I knew it, the extra time I said, “I wanted” was completely taken up by commitments and stuff. Then ding-ding-ding…the out of alignment bell would sound! What I was saying and what I was choosing to do were not matching.

You know the drill, I would then chastise myself about it and create even more dis-ease within myself. Until one day I was utterly exhausted and stopped dead in my tracks exclaiming, “No more!”

The next question helped me strengthen my muscles in being able to better honor my decision for more time off. “What do I want my experience to be this summer?”

Each time I would teeter on overbooking the sacred white space, I would pause and ask, “How will this ____ help me create the experience I want for my summer?” The answer would always guide me in knowing when to place it on the calendar and sometimes I would realize it didn’t belong on my calendar at all.

Such a simple question has created a major shift in my life and I now use several versions of the question before I book my time for anything. E.g. How will this (activity or meeting) help reach the goal of ______?

Many of my clients have adopted the concept of: “Receiving a request to attend, doesn’t demand an automatic yes for a response.” They practice choosing their response, before agreeing to filling their day with stuff. They align their answer to what matters to them.

Learning to choose what matters is powerful. If you’re ready to test it out, a great place to begin is to gain clarity on knowing what truly matters to you, your family and what matters to your business/organization. Grab a piece of paper and pen, take a few minutes and begin crafting your “What Matters in My World”.

Then pause at the end of each day and ask yourself, “How aligned were my actions today with what matters in my world? What small shift could I make tomorrow to become closer to honoring this?”

I was recently chosen to contribute to an article: 11 Ways to Rectify A Hiring Mistake

Tip #10: Learn from the experience

Remember, there’s no shame when a job isn’t a good fit for someone. It doesn’t mean they’re faulty or broken. It simply means the two pieces of the puzzle don’t go smoothly together. Learn from the experience and ask yourself, “What can I do differently to create a better result next time?” – Kris McCrea, PCC, McCreaCoaching.com